Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR SANITARY TISSUE PRODUCTS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to packages for sanitary tissue products, in
particular soft-
sided packages for sanitary tissue products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sanitary tissue products, such as facial tissue, are typically provided in
paperboard
cartons or similarly rigid containers. Such cartons have their drawbacks. For
instance,
consumers often desire a more flexible yet durable package and/or water
resistant package, which
would permit maintaining sanitary tissue products in more areas (e.g.,
bathrooms, cars, etc.).
Further, manufacturers of sanitary tissue products desire a way to better
communicate the
properties of their products through the feel of their packaging.
Flexible containers have been developed for sanitary tissue products but still
present
undesired limitations. For instance, current flexible packages lack a
premium feel and/or
structural features that connotes to consumers high quality and/or tactile
properties of the
products contained within. Likewise, current flexible packages are often
substantially opaque,
precluding a consumer from viewing the contents, or substantially transparent
providing no
artistic features to connote characteristics about the package contents. In
addition, current
flexible packages often provide seals across their bottom side or in other
undesirable areas,
obstructing aesthetic designs and/or brand information. Similarly, aesthetic
designs are
obstructed by the amount of written information that must be provided at the
point of sale.
Manufacturers are also faced with stability problems arising from flexible
packaging.
Flexible packaging lacks the rigidity of paperboard and therefore cannot stand
as easily on store
shelves, leading to a disorganized or chaotic appearance. In addition, the
lack of rigidity may
cause tears in a flexible package, especially in the dispensing opening,
during shipping and
display as consumers and store staff handle the products.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a flexible package that has textural,
structural and
artistic features that connote characteristics about the package contents
and/or provides a more
appealing texture than known packages. Moreover, there is a need to provide a
flexible package
that has optimal space for its aesthetic design and written information
without obstruction of
package seals. In addition, there is a need for added stability for flexible
packages that result in
better sales presentation, dispensing and/or protection during shipping and
handling.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses one or more of the above problems by providing
a
dispensing system that connotes properties about its contents, optimizes space
for aesthetic
design and brand information and enhances stability. In an embodiment, a soft-
sided package
having an outer wrap and a plurality of sanitary tissue products disposed with
the outer wrap is
provided. The outer wrap may comprise a structured wrap material, and the
plurality of sanitary
tissue products may comprise a structured sanitary tissue product.
In another embodiment, a soft-sided package comprising an outer wrap
substantially
surrounding a stack of sanitary tissue products is provided. The package
comprises a paper stack
compressibility to wrap thickness ratio of about 2/log(gsi) or greater. The
wrap thickness is
measured at a compression pressure of 300 gsi.
In an additional embodiment, a soft-sided package having an outer wrap and a
plurality of
sanitary tissue products disposed within the outer wrap, where the package has
a wrap thickness
to paper thickness ratio of about 0.6 or less is provided. The wrap thickness
and the paper
thickness are measured under a compression pressure of 300 gsi.
In another embodiment, a soft-side package comprises an outer wrap and a
sanitary tissue
product disposed within the outer wrap, where the outer wrap comprises a wrap
bending modulus
of about 1800 MPa or less at a compression pressure of 300 gsi.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing system in accordance with an
embodiment of
the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a dispensing system in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is schematic view of an outer wrap in accordance with an embodiment of
the
present invention;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with one
embodiment
of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention;
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Fig. 7 is an elevational view of package in accordance with one embodiment of
the
present invention;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with yet
another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9A is a perspective view of a soft-sided package in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 9B-9D are schematic views of stiffeners in accordance with a nonlimiting
examples
of the present invention;
Fig. 10 is a schematic illustration of a plan view of a structured sanitary
tissue product in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig 111 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the paper web of Fla
10;
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of
the present
invention;
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a dispensing system in accordance with an
embodiment of
the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a exploded view of a dispensing system in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a dispensing system in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the bottom of a sleeve in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 17 is a partial, schematic view of a sleeve in accordance with one
embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a dispensing system in accordance with one
embodiment
of the present invention;
Fig. 19 is an elevational view of a dispensing system in accordance with
another
embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 20 is an elevational view of an array in accordance with one embodiment
of the
present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Definitions
"Brand information" as used herein means any descriptions, depictions, objects
or other
indicia relating to a brand (i.e., a single source identifier which identifies
a product and/or service
as exclusively coming from a single commercial source). Nonlimiting examples
of a brand are
PUFFS facial tissue, CHARMIN bath tissue, and BOUNTY paper towels. PUFFS ,
CHARMIN and BOUNTY are also trademarks. Nonlimiting examples of brand
information
are brand names, brand insignia (e.g., objects, words, colors, shapes or other
indicia that can be
used to distinguish, identify or represent the manufacturer, retailer,
distributor or brand of a
product, including but not limited to trademarks, logos, emblems, symbols,
designs, figures,
fonts, lettering, crests or similar identifying marks), slogans, history,
mascots, endorsements,
certifications, recommendations and claims regarding brand performance,
quality, recognition or
consumers' preferences for the brand.
"Sanitary tissue product" as used herein means one or more finished fibrous
products,
converted or not, that is useful as a wiping implement for post-urinary and
post-bowel movement
cleaning (e.g., toilet tissue and wet wipes), for otorhinolaryngological
discharges (e.g., facial
tissue), and multi-functional absorbent and cleaning uses (e.g., paper towels
and shop towels).
The sanitary tissue products can be embossed or not embossed, creped or
uncreped, single or
multi-ply.
A "structured sanitary tissue product" as used herein means a sanitary tissue
product
having one or more wet-formed (formed while the fibers are yet to be fully
dried) textural
elements, intentionally formed during the papermaking process. When a sanitary
tissue product
is laid substantially flat in an x-y plane, a textural element is a
deformation in the product having
a z-direction dimension extending above or below the plane of the sanitary
tissue product. In this
case, z-direction is orthogonal both the machine direction and cross machine
direction, such that
the machine direction, cross machine direction and z-direction form a
Cartesian coordinate
system. Through-air-drying (TAD) processes are known to make structured
sanitary tissue
products.
Likewise, processes utilizing photo-curable resin patterned through-air-
drying
papermaking belts are known to make structured sanitary tissue products. A
structured sanitary
tissue product may have textural elements extending from about 180 microns to
about 730
microns in the z-direction as measured from the non-deformed portion of the
sanitary tissue
product to the highest point of the textural element. Non-limiting examples of
collection devices
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and/or fabric and/or belts suitable for imparting wet-formed textural elements
to a sanitary tissue
product include those fabrics and/or belts used in fabric creping and/or belt
creping processes, for
example as disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,820,008 and 7,789,995, coarse
through-air-drying
fabrics as used in uncreped through-air-drying processes, and photo-curable
resin patterned
5
through-air-drying belts, for example as disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
4,637,859. In addition, a
structured sanitary tissue product may further comprise one or more dry-formed
textures (i.e.,
formed after the fibers are dry) which typically occurs during converting
processes such as
embossing. The textural elements of a structure sanitary tissue product may be
disposed in a
pattern, or they may be disposed randomly. The textual elements may be uniform
or nonuniform.
Conventional wet pressed sanitary tissue products do not have wet-formed
textural
elements intentionally formed during the papermaking process.
The sanitary tissue product (whether structured or not) may be segmented into
individual
segments of sanitary tissue products having discrete lengths. An individual
segment of sanitary
tissue products can then be folded upon itself and subsequently stacked and/or
interleaved with
the remaining individual segments. Such stacked and/or interleaved sanitary
tissue products can
then be inserted into appropriate packaging consistent with the present
disclosure. Packages for
containing and dispensing stacked and/or interleaved sheet materials disposed
inside can
generally be divided into two principal types. The first type enables stacked
and interfolded
sheets to "pop-up" to dispense through an opening in the top wall of the
package. Such pop-up
dispensers provide partial withdrawal of the next successive tissue upon
pulling sheets out one at
a time from the package. The second type of package facilitates dispensing of
a stack of sheets
that are generally not interfolded by providing an opening in at least one of
the package walls to
enable a user to reach into the package and remove one or more of the sheets
at a time. This
latter type of package is commonly known as a "reach-in" package.
Alternatively, a sanitary tissue product may be convolutely wound upon itself
about a
core or without a core to form a sanitary tissue product roll. Lines of
perforation can be provided
within the length of the wound product to facilitate separation of adjacent
portions of the
convolutely wound sanitary tissue product.
The sanitary tissue products of the present invention may comprise additives
such as
softening agents, temporary wet strength agents, permanent wet strength
agents, bulk softening
agents, lotions, silicones, wetting agents, latexes, especially surface-
pattern-applied latexes, dry
strength agents such as carboxymethylcellulose and starch, and other types of
additives suitable
for inclusion in and/or on sanitary tissue products.
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The sanitary tissue products of the present invention may exhibit a basis
weight from
about 5 g/m2 to about 120 g/m2, or from about 10 g/m2 to about 75 g/m2, or
from about 10 g/m2 to
about 50 g/m2. In another embodiment, the sanitary tissue products of the
present invention may
exhibit a basis weight of about 15 g/m2 (9.2 lbs/3000 ft2) to about 120 g/m2
(73.8 lbs/3000 ft2)
and/or from about 15 g/m2 (9.2 lbs/3000 ft2) to about 110 g/m2 (67.7 lbs/3000
ft2) and/or from
about 20 g/m2 (12.3 lbs/3000 ft2) to about 100 g/m2 (61.5 lbs/3000 ft2) and/or
from about 30
(18.5 lbs/3000 ft2) to 90 g/m2 (55.4 lbs/3000 ft2). In yet another embodiment,
the sanitary tissue
products of the present invention may exhibit a basis weight between about 40
g/m2 (24.6
lbs/3000 ft2) to about 120 g/m2 (73.8 lbs/3000 ft2) and/or from about 50 g/m2
(30.8 lbs/3000 ft2)
to about 110 g/m2 (67.7 lbs/3000 ft2) and/or from about 55 g/m2 (33.8 lbs/3000
ft2) to about 105
g/m2 (64.6 lbs/3000 ft2) and/or from about 60 g/m2 (36.9 lbs/3000 ft2) to 100
g/m2 (61.5 lbs/3000
ft2).
"Structured wrap material" as used herein means wrap material for use in
forming an
outer wrap and having one or more textural elements formed during the
manufacturing of the
material (e.g., during the making of the material from fibers, plastics,
chemicals or other base
components or during converting of the material to a finished outer wrap).
When the material is
laid substantially flat in an x-y plane, a textural element is a deformation
in the material having a
z-direction dimension extending above or below the plane of the material. In
this case, z-
direction is orthogonal both the machine direction and cross machine
direction, such that the
machine direction, cross machine direction and z-direction form a Cartesian
coordinate system.
The textural elements may comprise embossments or microembossments. The
textural elements
may be disposed in a pattern, or they may be disposed randomly. The textual
elements may be
uniform or nonuniform. The structured wrap material may be a film material. In
an
embodiment, the structured wrap material is a microembossed film that can have
a soft feel.
"Reading orientation" as used herein means any angle at which a letter, word,
or symbol
is positioned with respect to a reader such that it is in its intended
orientation to be read or
interpreted by a consumer when the product is viewed by the consumer in a
given position.
Thus, for example, in Fig. 2, the words "Brand Super Soft" are at a reading
orientation for a
reader viewing the indicia 20 while the height dimensions, H1 and H2, of the
dispensing system
10 are perpendicular to the horizontal shelf 22. Likewise, the letters "ABCD",
although oriented
differently, are still in a reading orientation for a reader viewing the
indicia 20 while the
dispensing system 10 is in the same position. The reading orientation of
"ABCD" in this case is
preferable when positioning a plurality of dispensing systems 10 side-by-side
such that the side
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with "ABCD" is facing the reader. As explained in detail below, Fig. 17 shows
multiple reading
orientations for indicia 20 provided on the same sleeve 16. In an embodiment
where indicia such
as a trademark or brand name is in a curved orientation, a reading orientation
can be such that at
a midpoint of the curved word or symbol, an imaginary tangent line bisects the
word or symbol
in the traditional (i.e., straight) reading orientation.
"Machine Direction," MD, as used herein is the direction of manufacture for a
sanitary
tissue product. The machine direction can be the direction in which sanitary
tissue product
progresses during its manufacture, such that the MD is parallel to a length
direction of material.
"Cross Machine Direction," CD as used herein is the direction substantially
perpendicular
to the machine direction.
"Film" is intended to include any flexible polymeric materials, including
foils, polymer
sheets, co-extrusions, laminates, and combinations thereof. Film may be
fabricated from a
polymer that does not have adhesive characteristics, which may be made from
homogeneous
resins or blends thereof. The properties of a selected film can include,
though are not restricted
to, combinations or degrees of being: porous, non-porous, microporous, gas or
liquid permeable,
non-permeable, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, hydroscopic, oleophilic, oleophobic,
high critical
surface tension, low critical surface tension, surface pre-textured,
elastically yieldable, plastically
yieldable, electrically conductive, and electrically non-conductive. Such
materials can be
homogeneous or composition combinations.
Film may be made from homogeneous resins or blends thereof. Single or multiple
layers
within the film structure are contemplated, whether co-extruded, extrusion-
coated, laminated or
combined by other known means. Useful resins include, but are not limited to,
polyethylene (PE),
polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride
(PVC), polyvinylidene
chloride (PVDC), latex structures, nylon, etc.
Polyolefins tend to be lower in cost and relatively easy to form but are not
necessary to
practice the invention. High density polyethylene (HDPE) may be used fabricate
the film. Other
suitable materials to fabricate the film from include, but are not limited to,
aluminum foil, coated
(waxed, etc.) and uncoated paper, coated and uncoated wovens, scrims, meshes,
nonwovens, and
perforated or porous films, and combinations thereof.
Overview
The present invention comprises a dispensing system 10. As shown in Fig. 1,
the
dispensing system 10 comprises a soft-sided package 12, made of an outer wrap
14 and having a
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plurality of sanitary tissue products 15 housed within it. The dispensing
system 10 may
optionally comprise a relatively rigid sleeve 16 that substantially and
circumferentially surrounds
a portion of the soft-sided package 12, as shown in Fig. 2. The sleeve 16 is
made of a material 18
that has a rigidity greater than the rigidity of the outer wrap 14. The soft-
sided package 12 can
have indicia 20 displayed, such as printed brand information 26 as well as
other design elements
28. The sleeve 16 provides additional space for indicia 20 and design elements
30 as well as
stability for the displaying and handling the soft-sided package 12. In one
embodiment, the soft-
sided package 12 and sleeve 16 are oriented vertically on a horizontal shelf
22 and at least a
portion of the sleeve 16 is in contacting relationship with the shelf 22.
Other features and
benefits of the dispensing system shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are discussed in more
detail below.
The Soft-Sided Package
Turning to Fig. 3, the soft-sided package 12 of the present invention
comprises an outer
wrap 14, which can formed into a substantially parallelepiped structure or
other suitable shape
for housing a plurality of sanitary tissue products 15. In an embodiment, the
outer wrap 14 may
comprise a film. In another embodiment, the outer wrap 14 may comprise a
structured wrap
material 141, such as material having an embossment 142 and/or a
microembossment 143. In
one nonlimiting example, the outer wrap 14 may have a basis weight of about 32
gsm to about 72
gsm, or about 40 gsm to about 60 gsm, or about 50 gsm according to the Wrap
Basis Weight Test
Method herein. In another nonlimiting example, the outer wrap 14 may have a
caliper (i.e., wrap
thickness, twrap) at 95 gsi of force of greater than about 40 lam, or greater
than about 50 lam, or
from about 70 lam to about 110 lam, or from about 71 lam to about 91 lam. In
yet another
nonlimiting example, the outer wrap 14 may have a caliper (i.e., a wrap
thickness, twrap) at 300
gsi of force (i.e., at a compression pressure of 300 gsi) of about 1.5 mils or
greater, or about 2
mils or greater, or from about 2 mils to about 4.3 mils, or from about 2.5
mils to about 4 mils, or
about 4 mils or less, or about 2.75 mils in accordance with the Paper Stack
Compressibility Test
Method herein. In a further embodiment, the outer wrap 14 may comprise a wrap
bending
modulus of about 1800 MPa or less, or about 1500 MPa or less or about 1000 MPa
or less, or
about 800 MPa or less, or about 500 MPa to about 1000 MPa, or about 600 MPa to
about 800
MPa, with each range relating to the bending modulus at a thickness, twrap,
measured under a
compression pressure of 300 gsi in accordance with the Plate Stiffness Test
Method herein. The
wrap bending modulus is a measure of a material's resistance to being
deformed. In other words,
the lower the wrap bending modulus value, the more flexible the material is.
It is believed that
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the bending modulus values disclosed herein provide the benefit of indicating
to an end user the
properties of sanitary tissue products 15 contained within the package 12
(e.g., soft and flexible).
Likewise, the wrap bending modulus values within the scope of the present
invention may
provide a more flexible package that can withstand shipping and handling.
In yet another nonlimiting example, the 1% MD secant modulus of the outer wrap
14 may
be about 170,000 kPa or less, or 150,000 kPa or less, or about 110,000 kPa or
less. The 1% CD
secant modulus of the outer wrap 14 may be about 240,000 kPa or less, or about
200,000 kPa or
less, or about 150,000 kPa or less, or about 111,000 kPa or less. The MD
and/or CD secant
modulus are believed to be a good indicator of an outer wrap's flexibility.
Surprisingly, an outer
wrap 14 in accordance with the present invention may present a low 1% MD
secant modulus
and/or low 1% CD secant modulus despite having a relatively high caliper
(i.e., a caliper greater
than that of typical polyethylene wraps used for sanitary tissue product
packaging) as shown in
Table 1. In an embodiment, the 1% MD secant modulus to caliper ratio (i.e., 1%
MD secant
modulus divided by caliper) is about 5 MPa/pm or less, or about 3 MPa/pm or
less. In another
embodiment, the 1% CD secant modulus to caliper ratio (i.e., 1% CD secant
modulus divided by
caliper) is about 7 MPa/pm or less, or about 5 MPa/pm or less, or about 3
MPa/pm or less. In
other words, the outer wrap 14 is flexible yet thicker than polyethylene wraps
typically used on
sanitary tissue product packaging and thinner than heavy duty wrap materials,
providing a
premium feel for the end user without jeopardizing flexibility or integrity.
In short, the
properties of the outer wrap 14 of the present invention fall within a sweet
spot so to speak. The
MD secant modulus and CD secant modulus values may be determined using ASTM D-
882. In
one nonlimiting example, the outer wrap 14 may be embossed or microembossed.
One suitable outer wrap 14 for use in the present invention is CLOPAY
MICROFLEX ,
available from Clopay Plastic Products Company, Inc. Tables 1-4 illustrate the
differences in
properties of the outer wrap 14 of present invention versus other packaging
materials.
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Table 1
Units gsm mils g/cm3 cm3/g N*mm #
MPa
#
Wrap sheets Wrap
BW twrap Wrap Wrap used in Bending
(gsm) @300gsi Density Bulk Wrap plate Modulus
per one per one for twrap for twrap Plate
stiffnes for twrap@
ID sheet sheet @300gsi @300gsi
Stiffness .. s test .. 300gsi
KLEENEX
hard box
package
material 396 21.10 0.739 1.35 408 1
31763
ANGEL
SOFT soft-
sided
package
material 100 4.40 0.898 1.11 27.5 5
1886
Outer wrap
of present
invention 51.8 2.75 0.741 1.35 2.53 5
710
Table 2
Caliper Caliper @
Density
Basis Weight
@ 95 gsi 95 gsi
(BW/Caliper)
gsm mils Microns
g/cm3
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 50-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 50 2.8 71.0 .71
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 72-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 72 3.6 91.4 .78
BOUNTY Napkins PE 56 1.5 38.1
1.47
CHARMIIN 4 Regular Roll PE 25 1.0 25.4 .98
CHARMIN 1-roll Inner Wrap
PE 15 0.6 15.2 .98
BOUNTY 6 Roll Duratowel
PE 36 1.5 38.1 .94
PUFFS To Go Wrapper PE 40 1.3 31.8
1.26
5
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Table 3
Caliper
1% MD Secant 1% MD Secant Modulus
/
@
Modulus Caliper
95 gsi
microns kPa MPa/pm
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 50-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 71.0 91121 1.3
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 72-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 91.4 106779 1.2
BOUNTY Napkins PE 38.1 490000 12.9
CHARMIN 4 Regular Roll
PE 25.4 441000 17.4
CHARMIN 1-roll Inner
Wrap PE 15.2 827000 54.3
BOUNTY 6 Roll Duratowel
PE 38.1 283000 7.4
PUFFS To Go Wrapper PE 31.8 172000 5.4
Table 4
Caliper
1% CD Secant 1% CD Secant Modulus
/
@
Modulus Caliper
95 gsi
microns kPa MPa/pm
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 50-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 71.0 91886 1.3
CLOPAY DH-215
MICROFLEX 72-gsm PE ¨
within the scope of the present
invention 91.4 110095 1.2
BOUNTY Napkins PE 38.1 662000 17.4
CHARMIN 4 Regular Roll
PE 25.4 531000 20.9
CHARMIN 1-roll Inner
Wrap PE 15.2 986000 64.7
BOUNTY 6 Roll Duratowel
PE 38.1 365000 9.6
PUFFS To Go Wrapper PE 31.8 241000 7.6
The outer wrap 14 may be formed into the soft-sided package 12 by any suitable
method.
One suitable method of forming the package 12 of the present invention is to
use an
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asymmetrically funnel-shaped forming shoulder to guide the wrap material for
forming a tube-
like envelope in such a way that the longitudinally running edges of the film
align with one
longitudinal corner of the respective stack of products. Such a process is
disclosed in US Patent
No. 8464502 to Spiekers et al.
In an embodiment, the soft-sided package 12 can be described generally as
being
parallelepiped-shaped, having a generally rectangular cross-section as shown
in Fig. 1. In
another nonlimiting example, the package 12 may not be parallelepiped. For
example, the
package 12 may have rounded or partially round corners as shown in Fig. 4 such
as those formed
by elongated gusset seals 34.
The soft-sided package may have three main dimensions of width, depth, and
height, as
shown in Fig. 4. Because, as discussed later, the sleeve 16 also has width,
depth and height
dimensions, the dispensing system 10 dimensions are described herein as being
"first" and
"second" with respect to the package 12 and sleeve 16, respectively. Further,
because the
package 12 is soft-sided and closed on both ends, it is recognized that the
dimensions are variable
within a range, depending on the size of the package, how much sanitary tissue
product 15 is
inside, and other variables as is known in the art of tissue product
packaging. For this reason, the
dimensions may be measured under compression pressure as detailed in the
Package
Compressibility Test Method. In the present disclosure, the longest dimension
of either the soft-
sided package 12 or the sleeve 16 is referred to as the "height" dimension
because in one
embodiment it is envisioned that the dispensing system 10 be shelved with the
longest dimension
being vertically oriented, as shown for example in Figs. 1-2, and 4. That is,
in such embodiment,
the two shorter dimensions, width and depth are in a plane parallel to a shelf
22 or other resting
surface when the dispensing system 10 is practiced. However, it should be
understood that this
naming convention does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is,
other orientations
are envisioned. For example, in another embodiment, the dispensing system 10
may be
positioned such that the height and depth are in a plane parallel to the
resting surface when the
dispensing system 10 is practiced as shown in Fig. 5. Likewise, the dispensing
system 10 may be
placed such that the width and height dimensions are in a plane parallel to
the shelf 22 or other
resting surface when the dispensing system 10 is practiced (not shown).
As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the package 12 comprises a first width, W1, a first
depth, D1,
and a first height, H1. The first height, H1, first depth, D1, and first Wi
can be viewed on a
Cartesian coordinate system such that they are mutually orthogonal. The
package 12 also
comprises a first perimeter, P1 In one nonlimiting example, illustrated in
Fig. 4, the first
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13
perimeter, P1, equates generally to 2(W1+D1), again recognizing that Wi and Di
can be variable
because of the soft sided nature of soft-sided package 12. In another
nonlimiting example,
illustrated in Fig. 5, the first perimeter, P1, may generally equate to
2(H1+D1) again recognizing
that Hi and D1 can be variable because of the soft sided nature of soft-sided
package 12..
In one nonlimiting example, the first height, Hi, may be about 15 cm or
greater, or from
about 15 cm to about 25 cm, from about 20 cm to about 23 cm at about 100 grams
of force per
square inch (i.e., a compression pressure of 100 gsi) in accordance with the
Package
Compressibility Test Method herein. In another nonlimiting example, the first
height, Hi, is
greater than the longest dimension of the unfolded sanitary tissue product 15
contained within the
package 12 at about 100 grams of force per square inch in accordance with the
Package
Compressibility Test Method herein. In yet another nonlimiting example, the
dimensions of the
package 12 may be equivalent to so-called pocket packs where, for example, the
longest
dimension may be about 10 cm or less, or about 8 cm or less, or less than the
longest dimension
of an unfolded sanitary tissue product 15 contained within the package 12 at
about 100 grams of
force per square inch in accordance with the Package Compressibility Test
Method herein.
In an embodiment, the package 12 may be placed on a horizontal surface, such
as a shelf
22 that would be present in a store or in a consumer's home or workplace. The
package 12 may
be placed such that the first height, Hi, is perpendicular to the horizontal
shelf 22 when package
12 is in its in-use orientation, causing the first height, Hi, to be
vertically oriented. Alternatively,
the package 12 may be placed on the shelf 22 such that the first depth, Di, or
the width, Wi, is
perpendicular to the shelf 22 when package 12 is in an alternative in-use
orientation, causing the
first depth, Di, or the first width, Wi, respectively to be vertically
oriented.
As shown in Fig. 6, the soft-sided package 12 may contain a plurality of
sanitary tissue
products 15. The package 12 comprises a dispensing opening 24. The dispensing
opening 24
may be any suitable shape or size to facilitate removal of the sanitary tissue
products 15. The
dispensing opening 24 may comprise a line of weakness 24a (as shown in Fig. 2)
such as a
perforation or slit. The dispensing opening 24 may be at least partially
resealable. In another
embodiment, the dispensing opening 24 may be partially or completely removable
as shown in
Fig. 6. The dispensing opening 24 may be disposed on a first side 12a of the
package 12. In one
nonlimiting example, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the dispensing opening 24 may
comprise an opening
area, Athsp, which equates to the dispensing opening's width, Wthsp,
multiplied by its height, Hthsp.
The opening area, Ads, may be about 70% of the surface area of the first side
12a, Aside, (i.e.,
Wside x Hside) or greater, or about 70-99%, or about 75-90%, of the surface
area of the first side
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12a, Aside. In such nonlimiting example, dispensing may be made easier by
reduced frictional
contact between the outer wrap 14 and the sanitary tissue product 15 during
dispensing. In other
words, there is more room for the sanitary tissue product 15 to exit and less
constraints from the
package 12.
Fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment where the package 12 comprises brand
information 26.
In another embodiment, the package 12 comprises a first design 28 (also shown
in Fig. 8). The
first design 28 may comprise printing and/or embossments, shapes, patterns,
indicia and/or the
like.
As shown in Fig. 8, the soft-sided package 12 may comprise areas of printing
14b, areas
void of printing 14a, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the package
12 is
translucent. In another embodiment, windows 14c into the interior of the
package 12 are
provided. Windows and/or translucency permit a consumer to at least partially
see the product
inside soft-sided package 12. Translucency, such as haziness, may connote
softness.
The package 12 may further comprise a corner seal 32. The corner seal 32 may
be
provided using the apparatus and process defined in US Patent No. 8464502 to
Spiekers et. al. In
addition, the package 12 may comprise one or more gusset seals 34. The corner
seal 32 is
relatively inconspicuous and precludes the need to seal the package in an
obtrusive manner, such
as by sealing a seam in the middle of a side of the package 12, which
interferes with indicia 20,
including brand information 26, and generally detracts from the aesthetic
appearance of package
12. Utilizing a corner seal 32 permits the use of more of the package 12
surface for printing 14b,
design 28 and/or brand information 26. In an embodiment, the corner seal 32
joins a first side
12a and the second side 12b of the package, wherein the second side 12b is
adjacent to the first
side 12a. The skilled person will recognize that the sides 12a, 12b may
already be joined as a
function of being part of one piece of wrap 14. However, the seal 32 may still
be formed, further
joining or associating the two sides 12a, 12b (e.g., overlapping them). In one
nonlimiting
example, the corner seal 32 joins the first and second sides 12a, 12b at about
a 90 angle, or
about 75-95 . In an embodiment, the corner seal 32 is comprised of a
sufficient amount of wrap
14 to act as a foot 33 as shown in Fig. 8. In other words, a sufficient
portion of the outer wrap 14
extends beyond the seal 32 to create a ledge so to speak. The foot 33 (or
ledge) may provide
additional stability to the package 12 when it is placed on a shelf 22 or
similar resting surface.
In addition, the soft-sided package 12 may comprise a package bulk of about 7
cm3/g or
greater according to the Package Compressibility Test Method herein, where the
volume of the
package 12 is based on its dimensions under a compression pressure of 100 gsi.
In another
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embodiment, the package 12 may comprise a package bulk of about 8 cm3/g or
greater, or about
9 cm3/g or greater or about 10 cm3/g or greater according to the Package
Compressibility Test
Method, where the volume of the package 12 is based on its dimensions under a
compression
pressure of 100 gsi. In such embodiments, the package 12 may approximate the
bulk of a hard-
5 sided package (e.g., paperboard package) while providing the tactile
benefits that a hard sided
package cannot provide. For example, package bulk in a soft-sided package 12
provides an
indication of softness and fluffiness while the same bulk in a hard-sided
package does not give
the same indication. The effect is analogous to a pillow versus a cardboard
box. In one
nonlimiting example, package bulk is increased by the addition of a structured
sanitary tissue
10 product 151.
In another embodiment, the soft-sided package 12 of the present invention may
exhibit a
density of about .0150 g/cm3 or less, or .0125 g/cm3 or less, .0120 g/cm3 or
less or .0100 g/cm3 or
less, where the volume of the package 12 is based on its dimensions under a
compression
pressure of 100 gsi. Table 5 shows various properties of the soft-sided
package 12 of the present
15 invention versus properties of other packages. The packages in Table 5
each contain a plurality
of sanitary tissue products 15.
Table 5
cm cm cm
Units mils mils mils g g/cm3
cm3/g
Pkg
Pkg Depth Pkg Width Height Pkg Pkg
Pkg
ID
@l0Ogsi @l0Ogsi @l0Ogsi Weight Density Bulk
KLEENEX hard
box containing
8.67 12.17 22.67
KLEENEX Regular
facial tissues (160
count) 3415 4791 8926 290.10 0.121
8.25
ANGEL SOFT soft-
sided package 6.40 10.80 21.72
containing ANGEL
SOFT facial tissues
(165 count) 2519 4252 8552 229.86 0.153
6.53
Invention - Soft-sided
package of present
8.06 10.82 21.36
invention containing
PUFFS Basic facial
tissues (132 count) 3173 4259 8410 178.47 0.096
10.43
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Invention - Soft-sided
package of present
invention containing 6.86 11.77 21.01
KLEENEX Regular
tissues (132 count) 2700 4634 8274 218.22 0.129
7.77
Invention - Soft-sided
package of present
invention containing 7.12 11.77 21.25
KLEENEX Regular
facial tissues (160
count) 2803 4636 8365 243.28 0.137
7.32
In another embodiment, the package 12 may have a package depth compressibility
of
about 210 mils/log(gsi) or greater, or about 280 mils/log(gsi) or greater, or
about 380
mils/log(gsi), or about 400 mils/log(gsi) or greater, or about 500
mils/log(gsi) in accordance with
the Package Compressibility Test Method herein. The package depth
compressibility values
within the scope of the present invention provide a stronger indication of
softness and flexibility,
which is significant to indicate the properties of sanitary tissue products 15
to the end users.
Table 6 shows various compressibility values that for products within the
scope of the
present invention as well as products outside the scope of the present
invention.
Table 6
Units mils mils/log(gsi) log(gsi)
mils/log(gsi)
Pkg Depth
near-zero
load Pkg Depth Pkg Depth Pkg Depth
thickness Compressibil CompMod Recoverability
b(c) ity -m(c) -b/m(c) -m(r)
ID 1250 1250 1250
1250
KLEENEX hard box containing
KLEENEX Regular facial tissues
(160 count) 3719 165.3 22.50
148.4
ANGEL SOFT soft-sided package
containing ANGEL SOFT facial
tissues (165 count) 2896 205.2 14.11
156.2
Invention - Soft-sided package of
present invention containing
PUFFS Basic facial tissues (132
count) 4126 526.0 7.91
432.8
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Invention - Soft-sided package of
present invention containing
KLEENEX Regular Tissues (132
count) 3392 376.9 9.02
314.6
Invention - Soft-sided package of
present invention containing
KLEENEX Regular Tissues (160
count) 3332 286.4 11.66
251.3
In yet another embodiment, the package 12 may comprise a stiffener 35, as
shown in
Figs. 9-9D. The stiffener 35 of the present disclosure is believed to provide
more uniform
deflation (i.e., shrinkage) as package contents are removed. In addition, the
stiffener 35 of the
present invention provides more uniform resistance for the outer edges of
sanitary tissue products
during dispensing. This is especially important for large dispensing openings
24 in order to
prevent dispensing of more than the desired number of products 15, moving the
package 12 as
the sanitary tissue product 15 is being pulled and/or having the remaining
products 15 fall over
10 after one or more products 15 have been dispensed. In addition, a
stiffener 35 may provide
enough resistance to allow an end-user to use only one hand to pull the
sanitary tissue product 15
while avoiding the above-noted issues.
In an embodiment, the stiffener 35 comprises a material 351 that is more rigid
than the
outer wrap 14. Nonlimiting examples of suitable material 351 include paper,
cut-resistant
15 flexible material, polymeric films (that are more rigid than the outer
wrap 14), stiffened fabrics
and combinations thereof. In one nonlimiting example, the stiffener 35
comprises paper, such as
paperboard or cardboard. In another nonlimiting example, the stiffener 35
comprises a layered
film.
The stiffener 35 may be fixedly associated with the outer wrap 14. By way of
nonlimiting examples, the stiffener 35 may be associated with the outer wrap
14 by adhesive
and/or mechanical attachment (such as staples). In one embodiment, the
stiffener 35 may be
associated with the outer wrap 14 on the first side 12a of the package 12. In
an embodiment, the
stiffener 35 is a stiffened or thickened portion of the sleeve 16 as discussed
below. In an
alternative embodiment, the stiffener 35 is not integral with the sleeve 16.
In one nonlimiting
example, the stiffener 35 is disposed inside the package 12. In an alternative
nonlimiting
example, the stiffener 35 is disposed on the outside of the package 12. In yet
another nonlimiting
example, at least two stiffeners 35 are associated with the outer wrap 14. In
such example, the
stiffeners 35 can both be disposed on the outside of the package 12 or on the
inside of the
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18
package 12, or one 35 may be disposed on the outside while the other 35 is
disposed on the inside
of the package 12.
The stiffener 35 may be a strip, or other suitable shape, joined substantially
parallel to an
edge 24b of the dispensing opening 24. The stiffener 35 may be located
adjacent to the
dispensing opening 24. In an embodiment, the stiffener 35 is spaced a
distance, Duff, from an
edge 24b of the dispensing opening 24, as measured between the closest points
on the edge 24b
and stiffener 35 (i.e., Duff is the shortest distance between the dispensing
opening 24 and the
stiffener 35). Dstiff may be about 2.5 cm or less, or 2 cm or less, or about 1
cm or less or about
0.5 cm or less, or about 0 mm.
The stiffener 35 can be generally in a strip form and comprise a width, Wsuff,
and a height,
Huff, which directionally correspond with the width and height dimensions of
the package 12 and
the first side 12a as shown in Fig. 9. In one nonlimiting example,¨ side \
Wsuff is less than the W
the width of the first side 12a). In another nonlimiting example, Wsuff is
greater than WsIde, such
that the stiffener 35 may extend beyond the first side 12a and, if desired be
folded, creating a
portion of the depth, D1, on one or more sides of the package 12 as shown in
Fig. 9A. In yet
another nonlimiting example, HstIff may be less than HsIde (i.e., the height
of the first side 12a).
Alternatively, Huff may be greater than HsIde such that the stiffener 35 may
extend beyond the
first side 12a and if desired be folded, creating a portion of the depth, D1,
on one or more sides of
the package 12 as shown in Fig. 9. In another nonlimiting example, HstIff and
HsIde are
substantially the same and/or WstIff and W
¨ side are substantially the same.
The stiffener 35 may comprise any shape and/or size suitable for providing
resistance
during dispensing and/or more uniform shrinkage of the package 12. In one
nonlimiting
example, the stiffener 35 is substantially rectangular and in strip form as
shown in Fig. 9. In
another nonlimiting example, the stiffener 35 is substantially oval as shown
in Fig. 9A. Other
nonlimiting examples of suitable shapes are illustrated in Figs. 9-9D. Where
more than one
stiffener 35 is used, any combination of shapes and sizes may be used. In one
embodiment,
where more than one stiffener 35 is used, the stiffeners 35 comprise the same
shape and/or the
same size.
The Sanitary Tissue Products
In an embodiment, the package 12 comprises a sanitary tissue product 15 or a
plurality of
sanitary tissue products 15. Nonlimiting examples of sanitary tissue products
15 include facial
tissue, bath tissue and paper towels.
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In an embodiment, the sanitary tissue product 15 comprises a structured
sanitary tissue
product 151 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The structured sanitary tissue
product 151 comprises
textural elements 152 that are wet-formed. In an embodiment, the wet-formed
textural elements
152 are produced in a papermaking method utilizing Through-Air-Dried (TAD)
technology.
Such methods are well developed in the art. TAD paper can have more structure
imparted during
the papermaking process (as opposed to post-making converting processes such
as embossing)
than conventional wet press paper.
In another embodiment, the structured sanitary tissue product 151 comprises
textural
elements 152 that are made in a papermaking process and wet-formed on a
textured belt such as a
photo-curable resin patterned through-air-drying belt, as taught in commonly
assigned U.S.
Patent 4,528,239, issued July 9, 1985 to Trokhan, for example. The textural
elements 152 may
include relatively high density regions 152a, sometimes referred to as
knuckles, and relatively
low density regions 152b, sometimes referred to as domes or pillows.
In another nonlimiting example, the structured sanitary tissue product 151
also comprises
an embossment (not shown). In yet another nonlimiting example, the package 12
comprises a
plurality of sanitary tissue products 15. The plurality of sanitary tissue
products 15 may
comprise a structured sanitary tissue product 151 and/or a non-structured
sanitary tissue product
(not shown).
The sanitary tissue product 15, or a plurality of sanitary tissue products 15,
may be
disposed within the outer wrap 14. The plurality of sanitary tissue products
15 may be stacked or
rolled. The plurality of sanitary tissue products 15 may be interfolded.
In one embodiment, the plurality of sanitary tissue products 15 has a paper
stack
compressibility of about 12 mils/log(gsi) or greater, or about 16
mils/log(gsi) or greater, or about
7 mils/log(gsi) to about 20 mils/log(gsi) in accordance with the Paper Stack
Compressibility Test
Method disclosed herein. In a further embodiment, a sanitary tissue product 15
may comprise a
paper thickness, t
_paper, of about 11 mils or greater, or from about 8 mils to about 12 mils or
about
every 0.1 interval in between 8 mils and 12 mils, or about 12 mils, each value
being obtained at a
compression pressure of about 25 gsi and in accordance with the Paper Stack
Compressibility
Test Method. In still further embodiment, a sanitary tissue product 15 may
comprise a paper
thickness, t
_paper, of about 9 mils or greater, or from about 5 mils to about 10 mils, or
about every
0.1 interval in between 5 mils and 10 mils, or about 9 mils, or about 10 mils,
each value being
obtained at a compression pressure of 100 gsi and in accordance with the Paper
Stack
Compressibility Test Method. In another nonlimiting example, the sanitary
tissue product 15
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may comprise a thickness, t
_paper, at a compression pressure of 95 gsi of about 5 mils to about 45
mils, or about 5.5 mils to about 7.5 mils, or about 13 mils to about 23 mils,
or about 16 mils to
about 28 mils, or about 20 mils to about 40 mils, or any 0.1 interval in
between 5 and 40 mils.
In yet another embodiment, the sanitary tissue product 15 may comprise a paper
bulk of
5
about 6 cm3/g or greater, or about 7 cm3/g or greater, or about 8 cm3/g or
greater or about 9 cm3/g
or greater, or from about 6 cm3/g to about 11 cm3/g, or from about 7 cm3/g to
about 10 cm3/g at a
compression pressure of 25 gsi in accordance with the Paper Stack
Compressibility Test Method
herein. The sanitary tissue product 15 may comprise a paper bulk of about 6
cm3/g or greater, or
about 7 cm3/g or greater, or about 8 cm3/g or greater, or from about 5 cm3/g
to about 9 cm3/g, or
10
from about 6 cm3/g to about 8.5 cm3/g at a compression pressure of 100 gsi in
accordance with
the Paper Stack Compressibility Test Method herein.
In a further embodiment, the sanitary tissue product 15 may comprise a paper
bending
modulus of about 9 MPa or less, or about 8 MPa or less, or about 3 MPa or
less, or about 2 MPa
for a paper thickness, t
.paper, taken at a compression pressure of 25 gsi. The sanitary tissue product
15
15 may comprise a paper bending modulus of about 13 MPa or less, or about 10
MPa or less, or
about 6 MPa or less, or about 5 MPa or less for a paper thickness, t
-paper, taken at a compression
pressure of 100 gsi.
Tables 7-8 illustrate various characteristics of sanitary tissue products 15
that may be
used within the scope of the present invention.
Table 7
Units gsm mils/ log(gsi) mils mils mils mils
log(gsi)
ID Paper Paper Stack Paper t
paper tpapõ per tpapõ per
Paper Avg.
BW Comp. - Stack per uu uu uu
Recovered
m(c) Comp. @25gsi @l0Ogsi @300gsi Thickness
1250 Modulu
per uu
s- 10-
1250
b/m(c)
1250
KLEENEX 33.04 11.24 5.73 9.73 8.21 7.24 6.88
Regular
facial tissue
#1
ANGEL 28.63 7.50 6.59 7.76 6.82 6.15
5.87
SOFT
facial tissue
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PUFFS 29.65 16.06 5.02 11.59 9.72 8.10
9.93
Basic facial
tissue
KLEENEX 32.64 10.90 5.76 9.49 8.06 7.10 7.38
Regular
facial tissue
#2
Table 8
Units cm3/g cm3/g N*mm # MPa MPa
# sheets Paper
Paper
Paper used in Bending
Bending
Paper Plate plate Modulus Modulus
Paper Bulk Bulk Stiffness stiffness (wrt
(wrt
ID @25gsi @l0Ogsi (5 sht) test t@25gsi)
t@l0Ogsi)
KLEENEX
Regular facial
tissue #1 7.48 6.31 0.600 5 3.82
6.35
ANGEL SOFT
facial tissue 6.88 6.05 0.700 5 8.79
12.93
PUFFS Basic
facial tissue 9.93 8.32 0.630 5 2.37
4.02
KLEENEX
Regular facial
tissue #2 7.38 6.27 0.755 5 5.17
8.45
In an embodiment, the package 12 may comprise a specific relationship between
the outer
wrap 14 and the sanitary tissue product 15 contained within the package 12. In
one nonlimiting
example, the package 12 may comprise a paper stack compressibility to wrap
thickness ratio of
about 2/log(gsi) or greater, or about 4/log(gsi) or greater, or about
5/log(gsi) or greater, where the
paper stack compressibility is determined in accordance with the Stack
Compressibility Test
Method and the wrap thickness is measured at a compression pressure of 300
gsi. It is believed
that a more compressible stack of sanitary tissue products 15 coupled with a
thinner wrap 14 will
better connote to an end user, through touch of the package 12, that the
enclosed sanitary tissue
product 15 has desirable properties, such as softness, squeezability,
flexibility and retained
structural integrity.
In an additional embodiment, the package 12 has a wrap thickness to paper
thickness ratio
of less than about 0.7, or about 0.6 or less, or about 0.5 or less, or about
0.35 or less, where both
the wrap thickness, twrap, and sanitary tissue product thickness, t
_paper, are measured at a
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compression pressure of 300 gsi. It is believed that the disclosed ratio
(i.e., a thick tissue product
15 with a thin wrap 14) provides the end user with good perspective of the
thickness of the
enclosed sanitary tissue products 15 through examining the outer wrap 14 and
package 12
visually and by touch.
In a further embodiment, the outer wrap 14 is a structured outer wrap 141 and
a sanitary
tissue product 15 enclosed in the package 12 is a structured sanitary tissue
product 151. It is
believed that by using a structured outer wrap material 141, the end user is
better informed,
through touch of the package 12, the expected feel of the enclosed structured
sanitary tissue
product 151. In one nonlimiting example, the structured sanitary tissue
product 151 comprises
wet-formed textural elements 152 formed in a TAD papermaking process. In still
another
nonlimiting example, the structured outer wrap 141 may be microembossed and/or
embossed.
Table 9 illustrates relational attributes of the outer wrap 14 and sanitary
tissue products 15
within the scope of the present invention.
Table 9
mils/log(gsi) mils mils /log(gsi)
none
Wrap Paper Stack
Thickness Paper Comp. to
Paper Stack (twrap) Thickness Wrap
Comp.-m(c) @300gsi - 1 (t
paper) paper) _ -Der uu
Thickness twrap to
ID 1250 sheet @300gsi (twrap)
tpaper
KLEENEX
hard box
package
material &/or
KLEENEX
Regular facial
tissues 11.24 21.10 7.24 0.532
2.92
ANGEL
SOFT soft-
sided package
material and/or
ANGEL
SOFT facial
tissues 7.50 4.40 6.15 1.70
0.716
Outer wrap of
present
invention &
PUFFS Basic
facial tissues 16.06 2.75 8.10 5.83
0.340
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Outer wrap of
present
invention &
KLEENEX
Regular facial
tissues 10.90 2.75 7.10 3.96
0.387
The Sleeve
In one embodiment, the dispensing system 10 includes a sleeve 16. The sleeve
16 may
comprise a relatively rigid material 18, meaning the material 18 is more rigid
than the outer wrap
14 from which the soft-sided package 12 is formed and is generally rigid
enough to be self-
supporting when configured as described herein. Suitable materials 18 include
but are not
limited to paper, cut-resistant flexible material, polymeric films (that are
more rigid than the
outer wrap 14, or layered to form a material that is more rigid than the outer
wrap 14), stiffened
fabrics and combinations thereof. In one nonlimiting example, the sleeve 16
comprises paper,
such as paperboard or cardboard. In another embodiment, the sleeve 16 is open
on two opposing
ends. Said differently, the sleeve 16 is topless and bottomless. In another
embodiment, the
sleeve 16 is not open on two opposing ends (i.e., it comprises a top and/or a
bottom).
As can be seen in Fig. 12, the sleeve 16 (like the soft-sided package 12) may
be
configured to have a generally rectangular cross section and has a second
width, W2, a second
depth, D2, a second height, H2, and a second perimeter, P2. In one nonlimiting
example, the
second perimeter, P2, is substantially equal to 2(W2+D2) as shown in Fig. 12.
In another
nonlimiting example, the second perimeter, P2, is substantially equal to
2(H2+D2) as shown in
Fig. 13. In an embodiment, the sleeve 16 generally circumferentially surrounds
the soft-sided
package 12. In one nonlimiting example, the second perimeter, P2, is
substantially equal to or
slightly less than the first perimeter, Pi, such that an interior surface of
the sleeve 16 is in
contacting relationship with the exterior surface of the soft-sided package
12. The sleeve 16 can
be in frictionally stable contact such that it does not slide off of soft-
sided package 12 under
slight forces such as the force of gravity when soft-sided package 12 is held.
The sleeve 16 can
be attached with adhesive, tape or other suitable means of adhesion.
Alternatively, the second
perimeter, P2, may be greater than the first perimeter, Pi, such that the
sleeve 16 fits loosely, or
somewhat loosely, about the package 12.
In yet another embodiment shown in Fig. 14, the sleeve 16 can comprise a
single panel
16' associated with one or more sides of the soft-sided package 12. Fig. 14
illustrates the sleeve
16 and the package 12 separated for illustrative purposes. However, the single
panel 16' may be
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associated with the package 12 by any suitable means, including for example,
staples and/or
adhesive. The sleeve panel 16' may be associated with a side of the package
12a such that the
package is more stable on a horizontal surface. In one nonlimiting example,
the sleeve's panel
16' is attached to a first side 12a of the package and folded such that the a
portion of the panel 16'
is associated with a second side 12b of the package 12, where the second side
12b is adjacent to
the first side 12a and the second side 12b can be placed on a horizontal shelf
22. The panel 16'
may be attached to the first side 12a or the second side 12b or both sides
12a, 12b. Where
attached, the panel 16' may be attached by any suitable means, including but
not limited to tape,
adhesive or staples.
The sleeve's 16 dimensions may be measured by measuring a peak length along
that
dimension, or a minimum length along that dimension or said dimension may be
the average
and/or constant length along that dimension. For example, the second height,
H2, may be a peak
height located anywhere on the sleeve 16 as shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 13 shows
the same principle
with respect to the width, W2. In another example, the second height, H2, can
be a minimum
height located anywhere on the sleeve 16. In one nonlimiting example, the
second height, H2,
second width, W2 and/or second depth, D2 is located in the center of one or
more sides of the
sleeve 16. In another nonlimiting example, the second height, H2, may be the
average and/or
constant height of the sleeve 16 as shown in Fig. 15. The same principle
applies to the width and
depth dimensions (W2 and D2).
The second height, H2, may be less than the first height, H1. In one
nonlimiting example,
the second height, H2, is at least 30% of the first height, H1, or between 20%
and 80% of the first
height, H1. The second height, H2, second width, W2, and second depth, D2, may
be viewed on a
Cartesian coordinate system such that they are mutually orthogonal. In an
intended use, the
sleeve 16 may be placed on a horizontal surface, such as a substantially
horizontal shelf 22 that
would be present in a store or in a consumer's home or workplace. The sleeve
16 may be placed
such that the second height, H2, is perpendicular to the horizontal shelf 22,
causing the second
height, H2, to be vertically oriented, and the second width W2 and second
depth, D2 to lay in a
plane parallel the plane of the shelf 22 (see Fig. 2). Alternatively, the
sleeve 16 may be placed on
the shelf 22 such that the second depth, D2, or the width, W2, is
perpendicular to the shelf 22
when sleeve 16 is in an alternative in-use orientation, causing the second
depth, D2, or the second
width, W2, respectively to be vertically oriented (see Fig. 13). In one
embodiment, the second
depth, D2, may be less than the first depth, D1. In another embodiment, the
second width, W2,
may be less than the first width, W1.
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In a further embodiment, the sleeve 16 substantially surrounds the soft-sided
package 12
and both the first height, Hi, and the second height, H2, are vertically
oriented on the shelf 22 (as
shown in Fig. 2 for example). At least a portion of the sleeve 16 may be in
contacting
relationship with the substantially horizontal shelf 22. In another
embodiment, at least a portion
5 of the package 12 may be in contacting relationship with the shelf 22.
Having both the first
height, Hi, and the second height, H2, be vertically oriented allows the soft-
sided package 12 to
be presented to consumers in a generally vertical relationship (on its end, so
to speak) in a stable
fashion. Alternatively, the dispensing system 10 may be oriented such that
both the first height,
Hi, and the second height, H2, are horizontally oriented on the shelf 22 ( as
shown in Fig. 13). In
10 such nonlimiting example, P2 and Pi may equate to the sums of the
respective height and depth
dimensions as shown in Fig. 13. In any orientation, the sleeve 16 helps
prevent the package 12
from falling.
In yet another nonlimiting example, the sleeve 16 substantially surrounds the
perimeter,
Pi, of the soft-sided package 12 and each dimension of the package (Di, Wi,
Hi) is oriented with
15 the respective dimension of the sleeve 16 (D2, W2, H2) when package 12
and sleeve 16 are in
their in-use orientation. In other words, for example, if Di is horizontally
oriented, then D2 is
horizontally oriented.
In one embodiment, the sleeve 16 exhibits the second height, H2, on a main
panel 16a, as
shown in Figs. 2 and 12. In a further embodiment, depicted in Fig. 15 for
example, the sleeve 16
20 substantially surrounds the perimeter, P1, of the package 12 such that
the main panel 16a aligns
with a side 12a of the package 12 having the dispensing opening 24. The sleeve
16, in particular
the second height, H2, may be sufficient to cover a portion of the dispensing
opening 24. In one
nonlimiting example, the sleeve 16, at the point at which it exhibits the
second height, H2, may
be sufficient to cover the entire dispensing opening 24. Likewise, as in Fig.
13, one or both of
25 the other dimensions of the sleeve 16 (D2 and/or W2) may be sufficient
to cover a portion or all
of the dispensing opening 24. Covering the dispensing opening 24 prevents
damage of the
opening 24, particularly where the dispensing opening 24 is formed from or
otherwise
incorporates a line of weakness 24a.
Returning to Fig. 12, the sleeve 16 may also comprise indicia 20 in a reading
orientation
as defined above. For example, the term "Brand" shown in Fig. 12, which is
representative of a
manufacturer's brand information 26 is oriented such that when the sleeve 16
is shelved with
height H2 being perpendicular to the shelf 22, the indicia 20 of the brand
information 26 is
"upside up," so to speak and is in reading orientation. Indicia 20 may be
present on one or more
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sides of the sleeve 16. As explained in more detail below, indicia 20 may be
oriented differently
on each side of the sleeve 16. Indicia 20 on the sleeve may be the same as or
different from
indicia 20 on the package 12.
In addition, the sleeve 16 may comprise a second design 30, as shown in Fig.
13 for
example. The second design 30 may complement the first design 28 located on
the package 12.
For instance, the designs 28, 30 may have similar or corresponding shapes,
colors, patterns,
indicia or the like. Alternatively, the designs 28, 30 may coordinate visually
without having
similar shapes, colors, patterns or indicia. In one nonlimiting example, the
design 28 of the
package is a different color and/or pattern from the design 30 of the sleeve
16, but both designs
28, 30 are aesthetically coordinated.
In a further embodiment, the sleeve 16 comprises a fold-in stabilizer 36 as
depicted in
Figs. 12, 15 and 16. In one nonlimiting example, the sleeve 16 comprises at
least two fold-in
stabilizers 36. The fold-in stabilizer 36 may be formed from a lateral cut 38
spanning across two
sides 16b, 16c at a corner of the sleeve 16 and being perpendicular to the
second height, H2. The
cut 38 may intersect a fold line 40 present between the two sides 16b, 16c of
the sleeve 16. The
portion of the sleeve 16 below the cut is folded inwards, creating the fold-in
stabilizer 36. When
engaged (i.e., folded in), the fold-in stabilizer 36 may provide a platform on
which the package
12 may sit. The cut 38 may be a third height, H3, sufficient to provide
stability to the package 12
and/or prevent the package 12 from touching a shelf 22 or similar surface once
the fold-in
stabilizer 36 is engaged. In another nonlimiting example, the sleeve 16
comprises two fold-in
stabilizers 36 on adjacent edges of the sleeve 16 (not shown). One of skill in
the art will
recognize that lateral cut 38 may be made with respect to the width or depth
dimensions as
opposed to the height dimension if so desired.
Turning to Fig. 17, the sleeve 16 may comprise an exterior surface 165, having
multiple
sides. One or more sides may comprise indicia 20. Each side may be externally
facing such that
each is viewable when the sleeve 16 is placed around a package 12. In one
nonlimiting example,
a first indicia 20a is provided on a first side 160, a second indicia 20b is
provided on a second
side 162 and a third indicia 20c is provided on a third side 164 of the sleeve
16. The indicia 20a,
20b, 20c on each side 160, 162, and 164 are each provided in reading
orientation. The indicia
20a, 20b and 20c may be the same or different, or partially the same or
partially different. In an
embodiment, the indicia 20a, 20b, 20c are oriented differently relative to one
another. In one
nonlimiting example, the first indicia 20a is generally aligned along a
vertical axis with
individual characters "upside up" as depicted in Fig. 17, which renders it in
a reading orientation
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when the sleeve 16 is set on a shelf 22 as depicted in Fig. 2. The second
indicia 20b is generally
aligned along a horizontal axis and substantially perpendicular to the first
indicia 20a with
respect to the axis of alignment of the characters, but again the characters
are "upside up" and
therefore in a reading orientation when the sleeve 16 is set on a shelf 22 as
depicted in Fig. 2 The
third indicia 20c is generally aligned along a vertical axis, being
substantially perpendicular to
the second indicia 20b with respect to the axis and having each character
substantially
perpendicular to the orientation of the characters in the first indicia 20a,
and is not in a reading
orientation when the sleeve 16 is set on a shelf 22 as depicted in Fig. 2. In
other words, the
indicia 20a, 20b, 20c on each sleeve side 160, 162, 164 differs from another
side with respect to
the axis on which the characters are aligned and/or with respect to the
orientation of the
individual characters within the indicia 20a, 20b, 20c. One of skill in the
art will recognize that
the orientation may vary in ways other than perpendicularly. Indeed, the axes
of alignment of the
different indicia 20a, 20b, 20c or the individual characters of each different
indicia 20a, 20b, 20c
may be oriented at any angle relative to one other suitable for practice of
the present invention.
The indicia 20a, 20b, 20c may not be in reading orientation simultaneously.
Said differently, for
example, the sleeve 16 may be provided in one position for the second indicia
20b to be in
reading orientation and provided in another position for the third indicia 20c
to be in reading
orientation. However, the multiple orientations provide for flexibility in
display designs and ease
in product recognition. Although described with respect to the sleeve 16, the
package 12 may
include indicia 20 present on different sides of the package 12a, 12b, 12c and
having different
reading orientations as contemplated in this paragraph. The indicia on each
side 12a, 12b, 12c of
the package 12 may be the same or may be different. A nonlimiting example is
shown in Fig. 1.
Where both the sleeve 16 and the package 12 comprise indicia 20, the indicia
on aligned sides
may be in the same reading orientation or differently oriented. For example in
Fig. 15, the
indicia 20 on the front side of the package 12a and the indicia 20 on the
front side of the sleeve
16a are oriented in substantially the same manner and thus have the same
reading orientation,
while the reading orientations of the indicia 20 on the left side of the
sleeve 16b and the left side
of the package 12c are not oriented the same and do not have the same reading
orientation.
In still another embodiment, shown in Fig. 18, the sleeve 16 comprises one or
more
stiffeners 35. The stiffener 35 may be associated with the outer wrap 14 as
discussed above. In
one nonlimiting example, the stiffener 35 is disposed on the main panel 16a of
the sleeve 16. In
an embodiment, the sleeve 16 comprises a removable portion 161. Removal of the
removable
portion 161 may be facilitated by a line of weakness, such as perforations, or
any other suitable
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means. The removable portion 161 may be adjacent to the stiffener 35, such
that when the
removable portion 161 is removed, the stiffener 35 remains associated with the
outer wrap 14. In
one nonlimiting example, the removable portion 161 covers at least a portion
of the dispensing
opening 24. One or more removable portions 161 may be employed.
Other Configurations
In one embodiment depicted in Fig. 19, the dispensing system 10 may comprise a
plurality of soft-sided packages 120, 122, 124. The soft-sided packages 120,
122, 124 may have
any of the features described in detail above. By way of nonlimiting example,
each of the
packages 120, 122, 124 may be made of outer wrap 14 and have a 1% MD secant
modulus to
caliper ratio of about 5 MPa/pm or less or about 3 MPa/pm or less. Each
package 120, 122, 124
may also comprise a plurality of sanitary tissue products 15 and/or a corner
seal 32. The sanitary
tissues 15 in one package 120 may be the same or different from the sanitary
tissue products 15
in other packages 122, 124. At least one of the packages 12 may have a first
height, H1, which
may be the longest dimension of that package 12.
The packages 120, 122, 124 may be placed side-by-side and or front-to-back
such that
their height, width and depth dimensions are respectively oriented in the same
direction (i.e.,
depth of package 1 is oriented in the same manner as the depth of package 2,
height of package 1
is oriented in the same manner as the height of package 2, etc.). When placed
in close proximity
or contacting relationship, the plurality of packages 120, 122, 124
collectively form a
circumference, C1, extending around perimeter of the collective packages 120,
122, 124. In one
nonlimiting example, the circumference, C1, extends around the height and
depth dimensions of
the packages 120, 122, 124 (not shown). In another nonlimiting example, the
circumference, C1,
extends around the width and the height dimensions of the packages 120, 122,
124 (not shown).
In yet another nonlimiting example (as shown in Fig. 19), the circumference,
C1, extends around
the width and depth dimensions of the packages 120, 122, 124. The packages
120, 122, 124 may
each comprise a package design 280, 282, 284. The package designs 280, 282,
284 may be the
same or different, or partially the same or partially different.
In a further embodiment, a sleeve 16 substantially surrounds the
circumference, C1, and
may be in contacting relationship with a substantially horizontal shelf 22.
The sleeve 16 may
comprise any of the features described above. By way of nonlimiting example,
the sleeve 16
may be made of a material 18 more rigid than the outer wrap 14 used to form
the packages 120,
122, 124, such as paperboard. Likewise, the sleeve 16 may have a second
height, H2, which may
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be less than the first height, H1 In one nonlimiting example, the second
height, H2, is at least
30% of the first height, H1. In one nonlimiting example, both the first
height, H1, and the second
height, H2, have a vertical orientation in their in-use orientation.
In a further embodiment, the second height, H2, is the longest dimension of
the sleeve 16.
In yet another embodiment, depicted in Fig. 19, the longest dimension of the
sleeve 16 may be
oriented perpendicular to the longest dimension of one or more of the
packages. In such case, for
example, the first height, H1, may have a vertical orientation in its in-use
orientation, while the
second height, H2, may be in a plane parallel to the shelf 22. The dispensing
system 10 may be
arranged such that the first height, H1, is oriented in the same direction as
any one of the sleeve's
16 dimensions (i.e., the second height, H2, the second width, W2, or the
second depth, D2) when
the dispensing system 10 is in its in-use orientation. In a further
embodiment, the first height, H1,
may be greater than the sleeve dimension (i.e., H2, D2 or W2) that it is
aligned with when the
dispensing system 10 is in its in-use orientation. In one nonlimiting example,
the sleeve
dimension aligned with the first height, H1, may be at least 30% of the first
height, H1. As above,
the sleeve 16 may be placed such that it covers all or a portion of a
dispensing opening 24 in one
or more of the packages 120, 122, 124. The sleeve 16 may also comprise one or
more fold-in
stabilizers 36 of the type described above and/or one or more stiffeners 35 as
described above.
Further, the sleeve 16 may comprise indicia 20 in reading orientation. The
indicia 20 may
comprise brand information 26. Any of the packages 120, 122, 124 and/or the
sleeve 16 may be
provided with indicia 20 on one or more of their respective sides and said
indicia 20 may be
differently oriented. The sleeve 16 may also comprise a sleeve design 300. The
sleeve design
300 may complement one or more of the package designs 280, 282, 284. For
instance, one or
more of the package designs 280, 282, 284 and the sleeve design 300 may have
similar or
corresponding shapes, colors, patterns, indicia or the like. Alternatively,
the designs 280, 282,
284, 300 may coordinate visually without having similar shapes, colors,
patterns or indicia. In
one nonlimiting example, one or more of the package designs 280, 282, 284 is a
different color
and/or pattern from the sleeve design 300 but the designs 280, 282 and/or 284
and 300 are
aesthetically coordinated.
Array
In a further embodiment, an array 42 of dispensing systems 10 is provided. As
shown in
Fig. 20, the array 42 may comprise a first dispensing system 44 and a second
dispensing system
46. The first dispensing system 44 may comprise a first soft-sided package 48
having any of the
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features described above. The second dispensing system 46 may comprise a
second soft-sided
package 50 having any of the features described above. Each package 48, 50 may
comprise a
plurality of sanitary tissue products 15. The sanitary tissue products 15a in
the first soft-sided
package 48 may be the same or different from the sanitary tissue products 15b
in the second soft-
5 sided package 50.
In one embodiment, the first soft-sided package 48 comprises a first package
design 52.
In a further embodiment, the second soft-sided package 50 comprises a second
package design
54. The first package design 52 may be the same or different, or partially the
same or partially
different, from the second design 54. In one nonlimiting example, the first
package design 52
10 and the second package design 54 complement each other. For instance,
the designs 52, 54 may
have similar or corresponding shapes, colors, patterns, indicia or the like.
Alternatively, the
designs 52, 54 may coordinate visually without having similar shapes, colors,
patterns or indicia.
In one nonlimiting example, the designs 52, 54 are different colors and/or
patterns but both
designs 52, 54 are aesthetically coordinated.
15 In another embodiment, the array 42 optionally includes a first sleeve
56. The first sleeve
56 substantially surrounds the first soft-sided package 48 in the same way as
described above
with respect to sleeves 16 surrounding the perimeter, Pi, of a package 12.
Essentially, the first
soft-sided package 48 has a first perimeter, P3, which may be defined as the
sum of the package's
48 width and depth dimensions. (One of skill in the art will recognize that
the perimeter, P3,
20 alternatively could be defined as the sum of the package's 48 width and
height dimensions or the
sum of its depth and height dimensions). The first sleeve 56 substantially
surrounds this first
perimeter, P3 The first sleeve 56 may comprise first indicia 60 in reading
orientation. The first
sleeve 56 may also comprise a first color scheme, CS1.
The array 42 may also be provided with a second sleeve 58 which substantially
surrounds
25 the perimeter, P4 (referred to as the second perimeter), of the second
soft-sided package 50. The
second sleeve 58 may comprise indicia 62 in reading orientation. The indicia
60 of the first
sleeve 56 may be the same or different, or partially the same or partially
different, as the indicia
62 on the second sleeve 58. The second sleeve 58 may also comprise a second
color scheme,
CS2. The second color scheme, CS2, may be the same or different, or partially
the same or
30 partially different, from the first color scheme, CS1.
One or both sleeves 56, 58 may comprise one or more fold-in stabilizers 36
and/or one or
more stiffeners 35.
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Test Methods
Package Compressibility Test Method
Package thickness (measured in mils, 0.001 inch) is measured as a function of
compression
pressure (g/in2) using a Thwing-Albert (14 W. Collings Ave., West Berlin, NJ)
Vantage
Compression/Softness Tester (model 1750-2005 or similar), equipped with a 2500
g load cell
(force accuracy is +/- 0.25% when measuring value is between 10%-100% of load
cell capacity,
and 0.025% when measuring value is less than 10% of load cell capacity), a
1.128 inch diameter
steel pressure foot (one square inch cross sectional area) which is aligned
parallel to the steel
anvil (2.5 inch diameter). The pressure foot and anvil surfaces must be clean
and dust free,
particularly when performing the steel-to-steel test. Thwing-Albert software
(MAP) controls the
motion and data acquisition of the instrument.
The instrument and software is set-up to acquire crosshead position and force
data at a rate of
50 points/sec. The crosshead speed (which moves the pressure foot) for testing
samples is set to
1.0 inches/min (the steel-to-steel test speed is set to 0.05 inches/min). For
testing the package
with the top (i.e., the sheet releasing area) facing up, the crosshead
position and force data are
recorded between the load cell range of approximately 5 and 1500 grams during
compression of
this test. Since the foot area is one square inch, the force data recorded
corresponds to pressure
in units of g/in2. The MAP software is programmed to the select 15 crosshead
position values at
specific pressure trap points of 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 300, 400,
500, 600, 750, 1000,
and 1250 g/in2 (i.e., recording the crosshead position of very next acquired
data point after the
each pressure point trap is surpassed).
For the other two dimensions of the package (i.e., width and height), the
crosshead position
and force data are recorded between the load cell range of approximately 5 and
305 grams during
compression of this test, with the maximum compression force not exceeding 305
grams for
these two dimensions.
Since the overall test system, including the load cell, is not perfectly
rigid, a steel-to-steel test
is performed (i.e., nothing in between the pressure foot and anvil) at least
twice for each batch of
testing, to obtain an average set of steel-to-steel crosshead positions at
each of the 15 trap points.
This steel-to-steel crosshead position data is subtracted from the
corresponding crosshead
position data at each trap point for each tested package sample, thereby
resulting in the package
thickness (mils) at each pressure trap point.
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PackT (trap) = PackCP (trap) ¨ Stee1CP (trap)
Where:
trap = trap point pressure
PackT = Thickness of Package (at trap pressure)
PackCP = Crosshead position of Package in test (at trap pressure)
Stee1CP = Crosshead position of steel-to-steel test (at trap pressure)
The package is placed on the anvil, with its sheet releasing area facing up
(unopened),
centered with respect to the pressure foot. Additional (duplicate) tests must
be performed on a
different, untested package.
From these one or more tests, an average crosshead position of the package at
each trap
pressure (i.e., PackCP(trap)) is calculated. Then, using the average steel-to-
steel crosshead trap
points (i.e., Stee1CP(trap)), the average package thickness at each trap
(i.e., PackT(trap)) is
calculated (mils).
Package Compressibility is defined here as the absolute value of the linear
slope of the
package thickness (mils) as a function of the log(10) of the compression
pressure (grams/in2), by
using the 15 trap points discussed previously, in a least squares regression.
The units for Package
Compressibility are mils/(log(g/in2)), and is reported to the nearest 0.1
mils/(log(g/in2)).
Thickness (mils) at any compression pressure (trap) is calculated as described
above, as
PackT(trap), and reported to the nearest 0.1 mils.
Package Bulk is calculated by dividing the package volume (cm3) by its mass
(g). The
weight of the package is measured using a top loading analytical balance with
a resolution of
0.01 g. The balance is protected from air drafts and other disturbances using
a draft shield.
Measure the mass of the package and record the result to the nearest 0.01 g.
The package volume
is calculated from the product of the package thickness of each of its three
dimensions (height,
depth, and length) at 100 gsi pressure, using the method described above
(i.e., PackT(100)),
converted to units of cm3. Package Bulk is reported in units of cm3/g to the
nearest 0.01 cm3/g.
For purposes of this test method, package refers to an outer package
containing one or more
sanitary tissue products. Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary package and its
dimensions as measured
for the above-described test method.
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Stack Compressibility Test Method
Stack thickness (measured in mils, 0.001 inch) is measured as a function of
compression
pressure (g/in2) using a Thwing-Albert (14 W. Collings Ave., West Berlin, NJ)
Vantage
Compression/Softness Tester (model 1750-2005 or similar), equipped with a 2500
g load cell
(force accuracy is +/- 0.25% when measuring value is between 10%-100% of load
cell capacity,
and 0.025% when measuring value is less than 10% of load cell capacity), a
1.128 inch diameter
steel pressure foot (one square inch cross sectional area) which is aligned
parallel to the steel
anvil (2.5 inch diameter). The pressure foot and anvil surfaces must be clean
and dust free,
particularly when performing the steel-to-steel test. Thwing-Albert software
(MAP) controls the
motion and data acquisition of the instrument.
The instrument and software is set-up to acquire crosshead position and force
data at a rate of
50 points/sec. The crosshead speed (which moves the pressure foot) for testing
samples is set to
0.20 inches/min (the steel-to-steel test speed is set to 0.05 inches/min).
Crosshead position and
force data are recorded between the load cell range of approximately 5 and
1500 grams during
compression of this test. Since the foot area is one square inch, the force
data recorded
corresponds to pressure in units of g/in2. The MAP software is programmed to
the select 15
crosshead position values at specific pressure trap points of 10, 25, 50, 75,
100, 125, 150, 200,
300, 400, 500, 600, 750, 1000, and 1250 g/in2 (i.e., recording the crosshead
position of very next
acquired data point after the each pressure point trap is surpassed).
Since the overall test system, including the load cell, is not perfectly
rigid, a steel-to-steel test
is performed (i.e., nothing in between the pressure foot and anvil) at least
twice for each batch of
testing, to obtain an average set of steel-to-steel crosshead positions at
each of the 15 trap points.
This steel-to-steel crosshead position data is subtracted from the
corresponding crosshead
position data at each trap point for each tested stacked sample, thereby
resulting in the stack
thickness (mils) at each pressure trap point.
StackT (trap) = StackCP (trap) ¨ Stee1CP (trap)
Where:
trap = trap point pressure
StackT = Thickness of Stack (at trap pressure)
StackCP = Crosshead position of Stack in test (at trap pressure)
Stee1CP = Crosshead position of steel-to-steel test (at trap pressure)
A stack of five (5) sheets of wrap material, or five usable units (uu) of
paper, is prepared for
testing as follows. If testing wrap material, cut five sheets of an area
larger than at least 2 inches
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diameter, avoiding creases, folds, glued regions, and any other artifact not
part of the unaltered
wrap material. If testing paper, create a stack of five usable units by
unfolding any folds present
in each sheet, and aligning the edges to each other.
The 5 sheets (one usable unit thick each) of the same approximate dimensions,
are placed one
on top the other, with their MD aligned in the same direction, their outer
face all pointing in the
same direction, and their edges aligned +/- 3 mm of each other. The portion of
the stack where
compression testing will take place is never to be physically touched,
stretched, and/or strained
(this includes never to 'smooth out' the surface with a hand or other
apparatus prior to testing).
The 5 sheet stack is placed on the anvil, positioning it such that the
pressure foot will contact
the stack no closer than 5 mm from any edge. If testing paper, the foot must
avoid contacting
any fold creases, glue, and/or edge embossing when at all possible (for wrap
material, the entire
prepared stack itself already does not contain folds, glue, etc.). Additional
(duplicate) tests can
be performed on a different stack, or on the same stack (if adequate testing
area is available), so
long as the new testing location for the pressure foot is in a physically
untouched spot separated
by at least 1/4 inch from any other previous test.
From these one or more tests, an average crosshead position of the stack at
each trap pressure
(i.e., StackCP(trap)) is calculated. Then, using the average steel-to-steel
crosshead trap points
(i.e., Stee1CP(trap)), the average stack thickness at each trap (i.e.,
StackT(trap)) is calculated
(mils).
Stack Compressibility is defined here as the absolute value of the linear
slope of the stack
thickness (mils) as a function of the log(10) of the compression pressure
(grams/in2), by using the
15 trap points discussed previously, in a least squares regression. The units
for Stack
Compressibility are mils/(log(g/in2)), and is reported to the nearest 0.1
mils/(log(g/in2)).
Thickness (mils) (i.e., Paper Thickness or Wrap Thickness) at any compression
pressure (trap) is
calculated as the StackT(trap) divided by the number of layers in the stack,
and reported to the
nearest 0.1 mils.
Wrap Density at a given compression pressure is calculated by dividing the
Wrap Basis
Weight by the thickness of the wrap at a desired compression pressure using
the method
described above (i.e., StackT(300) divided by the number of layers in the
stack, if the thickness is
taken at 300 gsi compression pressure). Wrap Density is reported in units of
g/cm3. Wrap Bulk
at a given compression pressure is the inverse of Wrap Density at the given
compression pressure
and is reported in units of cm3/g to the nearest 0.01 cm3/g.
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Paper Density at a given compression pressure is calculated by dividing the
Paper Basis
Weight by the thickness of the sanitary tissue product at a desired
compression pressure using the
method described above (i.e., StackT(25) divided by the number of layers in
the stack, if the
thickness is taken at 25 gsi compression pressure; or StackT(100) divided by
the number of
5 layers in the stack, if the thickness is taken at 100 gsi compression
pressure; or StackT(300),
divided by the number of layers in the stack, if the thickness is taken at 300
gsi compression
pressure). Paper Density is reported in units of g/cm3. Paper Bulk at a given
compression
pressure is the inverse of Paper Density at the given compression pressure and
is reported in units
of cm3/g to the nearest 0.01 cm3/g.
Plate Stiffness Test Method
As used herein, the "Plate Stiffness" test is a measure of stiffness of a flat
sample as it is
deformed downward into a hole beneath the sample. For the test, the sample is
modeled as an
infinite plate with thickness "t" that resides on a flat surface where it is
centered over a hole with
radius "R". A central force "F" applied to the tissue directly over the center
of the hole deflects
the tissue down into the hole by a distance "w". For a linear elastic material
the deflection can be
predicted by:
3T,
= (1. v)(3 OR2
4.r(
where "E" is the effective linear elastic modulus, "v" is the Poisson's ratio,
"R" is the radius of
the hole, and "t" is the thickness of the tissue, taken as the caliper in
millimeters measured on a
stack of 1 to 5 tissues (or other test material) under a specified load (in
grams force per square
inch of area, gsi). Taking Poisson's ratio as 0.1 (the solution is not highly
sensitive to this
parameter, so the inaccuracy due to the assumed value is likely to be minor),
the previous
equation can be rewritten for "w" to estimate the effective modulus as a
function of the flexibility
test results:
3R2 F
¨
-Itt 'as
The test results are carried out using an MTS Alliance RT/1, Insight Renew, or
similar
model testing machine (MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn.), with a 50
Newton load cell,
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and data acquisition rate of at least 25 force points per second. As a stack
of five tissue sheets or
wrap material (created without any bending, pressing, or straining) at least
2.5-inches by 2.5
inches, but no more than 5.0 inches by 5.0 inches, oriented in the same
direction, sits centered
over a hole of radius 15.75 mm on a support plate, a blunt probe of 3.15 mm
radius descends at a
speed of 20 mm/min.
For typical tissue paper, sample preparation consists of removing five (5)
usable units,
and carefully forming a 5 sheet stack, and cutting the stack in square
dimensions, unfolding any
folds (common in facial tissue) and avoiding creases from such folds. For
packaging wrap
material, sample preparation consists of creating a 5 sheet stack by cutting
five sheets of an area
larger than at least 2 inches diameter (no larger than 5 inches by 5 inches
square) avoiding
creases, folds, glued regions, and any other artifact not part of the
unaltered wrap material (which
is typically found on side walls of the package/box).
Basis Weight Test Method for Outer Wrap Material
Basis weight of the package wrap material is measured on stacks of four
squares using a top
loading analytical balance with a resolution of 0.001 g. The balance is
protected from air drafts
and other disturbances using a draft shield. Cut four squares of the wrap
material using a
precision cutting die (or other precision cutting device) to dimensions of
2.00 in 0.01 in by 2.00
in 0.01 in. Measure the mass of the sample stack and record the result to
the nearest 0.001 g.
The Basis Weight is calculated in lbs/3000 ft2 or g/m2 as follows:
Basis Weight = (Mass of stack) /[ (Area of 1 layer in stack) x (Number of
layers)]
For example,
Basis Weight (lbs/3000 ft2) = [[Mass of stack (g) / 453.6 (g/lbs)] / [4 (in2)
/ 144 (in2/ft2) x
4]] x 3000
Or,
Basis Weight (g/m2) = Mass of stack (g) / [25.806 (cm2) / 10,000 (cm2/m2) x 4]
Report result to the nearest 0.1 lbs/3000 ft2 or 0.1 g/m2. Sample dimensions
can be
changed or varied using a similar precision cutter as mentioned above, so as
at least 10 square
inches of sample area is in the stack.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being
strictly
limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise
specified, each such
dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally
equivalent range
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37
surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is
intended to mean
"about 40 mm."
For every range cited, all 0.1 increments within the recited ranges are also
specifically
recited.
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent
or
application and any patent application or patent to which this application
claims priority or
benefit thereof, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
unless expressly
excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an
admission that it is prior
art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it
alone, or in any
combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or
discloses any such
invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in
this document
conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document
incorporated by
reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document
shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated
and
described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other
changes and
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is
therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and
modifications that are
within the scope of this invention.
